Maccabi Tel Aviv Center Armando Bacot Reveals Earning Over $2 Million in College Basketball

Armando Bacot, the new 26-year-old center for Maccabi Tel Aviv who recently joined from Fenerbahçe, shared a remarkable story about his financial earnings during his college basketball career. In an interview with former North Carolina player Theo Pinson, Bacot revealed that he earned more than $2 million over five years playing college basketball, a sum that took him by surprise. "I had no idea what I was doing," Bacot admitted, describing how quickly he transitioned from having nothing to becoming a millionaire.

Bacot credited much of his financial success to his decision to play at the University of North Carolina, one of the biggest college basketball brands in the U.S. He explained that the brand's prestige enabled him to secure lucrative deals, saying, "If I hadn’t gone to Carolina, those companies wouldn’t have done business with me." He emphasized the life-changing impact of the money he earned, expressing deep gratitude toward North Carolina and its basketball program.

On the court, Bacot left a significant mark at North Carolina, finishing as the university's all-time leader in rebounds (1,715), offensive rebounds (593), and double-doubles (87). He was part of the team that reached the NCAA tournament final in 2022 and helped the team reach the round of 16 in 2024. Despite his impressive college career, Bacot went undrafted in the 2024 NBA Draft. He signed with the Memphis Grizzlies and played for their development team, the Memphis Hustle, averaging 16.8 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists over 50 games. After failing to secure an NBA contract last summer, he moved to Fenerbahçe before joining Maccabi Tel Aviv.